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Soldiers withdraw from SOS Children's Village Bukavu

10/04/2003 - The troops who had set up camp in SOS Children's Village Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have since moved to land right by the SOS Children's Village. As before, however, the situation remains unpredictable and tense.

According to the director of SOS Children's Villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo, those soldiers that had taken up quarters in the SOS Children's Village Bukavu, in the far east of the Republic, have moved out onto an adjoining piece of land. Two 13-year-olds from the SOS Children's Village were forced to help with carrying the packs, but a military commander brought them back to the village unscathed.

In general, the situation in Bukavu and around the SOS Children's Village is unstable. For this week, SOS Children's Village co-workers are not going to work, waiting to see how things develop as the weekend approaches. There have also been attempts by the Mayi-Mayi rebels to blackmail the national director and SOS Children's Village co-workers, an official letter with a request for a safety guarantee for SOS Children's Villages is being sent to the governor of the province.